Comments If you knew, what would you do

[Charmer153]

If you KNEW, absolutely KNEW, that in 7 days time, all electricity more advanced then a flashlight would stop working and no one else believed you, (no more computers, no internet, no bank records, no police records, no TV, no working cars. A massive super EMP from a solar flare turned off all electronics everywere on the planet.) what would you spend that 7 days doing?
Would you try to rob to get what you think you need, knowing that there would be no police record after?
Would you max out all your credit cards, knowing that all the record would be gone after?
Would you remain loyal to your friends, even if you knew they would try to leach off of you?

 

[223shootersc]

Use my credit cards to buy extra long term storage foods, more ammunition, weapons and warm clothing and some PM. Buy and store some solar and wind power generation capabilities. Then try to persuade all my loved ones and friends that I wasn't crazy and that they needed to be near my BOL for a few days starting the day before. as they say just in case.

 

[Texican]

A massive super EMP from a solar flare turned off all electronics everywere on the planet.) what would you spend that 7 days doing?
Praise and thank Yahweh Jehovah God for allowing me to live thru these times.

Would you try to rob to get what you think you need, knowing that there would be no police record after?
No....

Would you max out all your credit cards, knowing that all the record would be gone after?
Would buy those items that I have not yet purchased.....

Would you remain loyal to your friends, even if you knew they would try to leach off of you?
If they haven't prepared, that is their problem....

Texican....

 

[Kathy in FL]

Weird what if game but I'll bite. LTS food? Doubtful that you could get a big order in within 7 days in most areas as it would have to be shipped.

I would divide up the three adult children still living at home and send them out with a list and a death ray stare that tells them I mean what is on the list and not junk. I would remain at home canning during the day to clean out the freezer. I would send my husband to several local butcher shops, carnecerias, etc. to pick up as much meat as I could store in freezer. As any space in freezer opened up I would replace it with a 2-liter soda bottle filled with water. At night I would personally hit the 24 hour stores and pick up the next round of fresh items as well as anything else I remembered we needed. I would also order what I could from Amazon Prime in the hope that it would arrive in the 2 to 3 working days as advertised.

On day 2 I would send hubby and adult son to the Produce Station to pick up everything they can … depending on what is in season. I would take the 16 year old with me to replenish canning supplies as possible and then would continue canning.

On day 3 everyone would be working together to secure the house and download and print all sorts of documents and instructions that I don't already have printed out in three-ring binders as well as continue canning. Hubby and adult son would go at night to get my parents and bring them to our home … whether that be our primary residence or our BOL.

On day 4 thru 6 we would be securing all of fuel supplies as well as our solar supplies. Increasing our supplies, canning, water, etc.

On day 7 .... I guess we will see.

 

[catskinner]

I'll play along too.

First thing I would do is call the oldest son and tell him and his bride to pack up and head this way. Next I'd call my parents and sister to give them the heads up. Then I'd call my uncle and tell him to kill a cow and hog and get it ready for me to pick up. After that I'd call my financial guru and have him transfer money to my bank and the doctor and have refills on all prescriptions called into the drug store. After that I'd put the youngest (14) in charge of washing all the canning supplies and laundry, while DH and I do a quick inventory and make a shopping list. After that I would begin canning the meat in the freezers while DH changes out the stored water.

Day 2, I would continue canning while DH buys up all the canning supplies he can get in town. While there he can go by the drug store and the vets office, and pick up extra dog food. The youngest would spend the day mopping and cleaning carpets.

Day 3,I'd finish with the canning and go to town for fresh vegetables to spend the day canning. The guys would load 2 old unused freezers into pick-ups, to use as coolers when we pick up the meat.

Day 4, pick up the meat and bring it home and begin canning. Go to the bank. Print any needed documents from the computer.

Day 5, we would take our list and go to the larger town to take advantage of the big box stores. Continue canning.

Day 6, top off all water storage, make sure all electronics are charged and properly stored. Charge and harden the little electric car (think glorified golf cart). Finish canning meats, set up water filter and lighting supplies.

Day 7, take a long hot shower and a nap.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Day One: have family meeting. Sit down and decide just what has to be done or purchased over the next week and who will be the one to do it. End each day with a family meeting to prevent duplication of effort and prevent any critical item from falling through the cracks.

Day Two: top off preps, food, water and fuel especially. Extended family are on their own.

Day Three: Update medicine cabinet and first aid kits, including the ones in the cars and bug out bags. Make sure all scripts (including eye glasses) are filled. Buy extra even if it comes out of my pocket instead of the insurance company's. Update all OTC medications and check stocks. Check manual medical equipment like blood pressure kit, thermometers, hot water bottles, sick/quarantine room supplies.

Day Four: Make sure all legal and financial affairs are in order. All needed legal forms are at hand. Sit down with DH and decide how much cash on hand will be needed. Check hard copy reference materials, First Aid manuals etc. Download and print out or buy whatever is missing.

Day Five: Operational prep check. Check key equipment/tools/camping gear/BOB's and make sure it is all functioning and in no need of repair.

Day Six: Review. Double check everything. Have another family meeting and review "what if" options/scenarios. Pack electronics into homemade Faraday Cage.

Day Seven: Finish up any loose ends. Call friends and loved ones. Get any family info needed. If we may not talk again or have to go back to snail mail then this is a gift. Take some time to get right with God and thank him.

 

[Lake Lili]

I will play along...
Day 1 - Purchase the land I want in Ontario (realtor is a friend, sign everything by fax, arrange for wood stove and firewood to be delivered, ask to have the house cleaned, order furniture and have it delivered, arrange for propane tank check and delivery, have cistern/yard pump and well checked, have realtor arrange for deliver of livestock) and book passage to get on the Ferry and off the island of Newfoundland (extremely family-only oriented and tribe/clan/only those born here belong mentality... produces less than 5% of their food... read death trap). Take 2 U-Haul 26-footers with us along with contents of our storage locker and our clothes, bedding/ mattresses, dog, bug out bag, skis, bicycles, gardening gear. Tow car. Get himself meds (we know that he won't have long with us, but he'll want to get us there and settled.) Head to the Ferry docks for the midnight sailing 6 to 8-hr ferry ride at this time of year.
Day 2 - Arrive between 6 and 8 am and drive then straight through to Moncton (4hrs 30-min). One truck to each of Costco & Pro-Bass World (lots of boots and winter gear) and drive to Edmonston (5-hrs). Sleep in truck.
Day 3 - Get through Quebec to north of Ottawa (8-hrs) to the realtor's house. Overnight in the trucks.
Day 4 - Get everything we might have missed getting before then head north to new house. Arrive, check everything (specially wood stove and wood delivery), thank the realtor and put him to work helping to unload non-food related items, sort out livestock, order hay, make sure that the propane stove and fridge are working
Day 5 - Finish unloading. Meet the neighbours (realtor's relatives). Go into town and do small shopping - buy paint, etc. Meet the neighbourhood. Get rid of the u-haul trucks - do not want them visible...
Day 6 - Start unboxing, make sure the food is stored, fed livestock, wash everything, bathe, jack up the music, have the kid mow the lawn, check the fences (at least as much as you can in the winter, but lay in fencing), check tools.
Day 7 - Start living... and eat chocolate cake while you can.

 

[raven]

ok. I'll play. no more electricity in 7 days. And assuming that most people don't know or believe it.
Not going to waste time trying to convince people.
Evaluate what electricity is used for.
1. Heat and A/C. A/C not worried about. Heat not a huge problem where I live. But find a small wood stove and chain saw.
2. Water. Water is pumped to your house with electricity. source a hand pump and storage barrels. Water needs to be transported from the lake. Gasoline is pumped by electricity - find a sturdy hand cart with solid wheels. (note: after 60 years on this planet, I discovered the hand cart for work around the house and wonder how I ever got along without one.)
3. A bicycle and extra tubes/tires/ repair kit. Hitch kit for hand cart.
4. Refrigeration. Buy a canning kit and instructions and start learning. Buy salt.
5. Buy gardening tools. Seeds. ect.
6. 22 ammo.
7. Radio
8. Couple of mechanical clocks.
9. Kerosene lamps and kerosene.
10. As much dog food and cat food as can be bought.
11. Fishing gear and a fishing kayak that can be transported with a bicycle.
12. 200 pounds of coffee and campfire coffee percolator - already have a kelly kettle

 

[Shooter]

hook my 8 by 22 ft tailer to truck, go to sams, buy food by pallet load, pallet of rice, pallet of canned tomatoes. pallet of canned chicken, can hold about 10 pallets. unload with bobcat with pallet forks, its easy to explain mass quanties of food, "My church group is sending a team to africa, were buying stuff here to ship over in shipping containier" so I lied, and they will give you a discount

2nd day, big local gun shop sells 5.56 by the barrel 12,500 rnds, pick up 4. also pallet of 22lr. extra magazines, slings cleaning kits, unload at home with bobcat, I have a 40 by 60 ft building, to put it all in.

day 3. still have cash left . Tractor supply. mabye a dozen rolls of barbed wire, 300 posts, extra battaries for my solar setup.

 

[greysage]

I can't say.
I'd probably buy a lot of candles and then gorge myself on fatty ribeyes and thick bacon until the power went out.

 

[Cardinal]

Buy more canning jars and start canning everything in the freezer non-stop.
Then buy more food.
Mostly fats and protein as they are hard to come buy.
Jars of butter can be used for barter.
But mostly, pray.

 

[RememberGoliad]

What I'd do depends on interpretation of your premise. If I and only a handful at most of others knew (for whatever reason be it revelation or knowing someone who learned something,) versus if it was a universally known fact (i.e. a widely-published news report of a CME type disruption,) would change drastically what I'd occupy myself with.

Seven days of universal knowledge that the shit is going to hit the fan will result in societal breakdown and mass panic long before the power is a problem. Too many YOLO types out there that'll try a moon shot. In this instance I'd get the family and closer (loosely read it as MAG) for the BOL, hitting stores along the way. Amazing what all you can cram in and on seven pickups and 16 ft trailers. Yeah, there's that much moving ability. We'll use it all. Object is to get the FFFF out of semi-urban densely populated coastal area and go from there. I'd be geared more towards get what can be got and get outta Dodge soonest, then start working on the "after" life. You know, life after the world changes

Seven days of being an insider surrounded by mushrooms, I'd take pretty-much the same approach but do six days of it instead of one. Either way destination would be the BOL as soon as I could get there, and venture back into town for supplemental trips, since mushroomland won't be in hair-on-fire mode. I'd still have the family that is in Houston hauling ass day one, since if you live on the edge of Houston and try to drive to Houston, you'll be in Houston for a couple hours. Houston is the only city I know of that is 4 hours from Houston at certain times every day. Besides that, those family members will have to either essentially come here or run the gauntlet between San Antonio and Austin and that's almost as bad as driving from Houston to Houston.

Store runs would be for padding the depth of supplies... more mason lids, more jars too for that matter, more seed, solar panels and batteries if the mushroom scenario is playing out (also depends on if the 'no electric' means 'no grid power' or if it means Carrington type event, in which case forget that part and pick up several kits for building piston pumps for the well which is about the only thing I'd really need [or actually simply want badly] electricity for,) long term staple foods like salt/spices/so forth, ammo just on account of because if I can get it, especially non-reloadable rimfire, and other things I can't make myself that'd be either essential or make life easier and more-productive.

Oh, and the last thing I'd do before day 7 dawns is park the ancient Diesel tractor on a nice, LONG hill. (It's got a mechanical fuel shutoff, zero electric required to get it to start.)

 

[Hfcomms]

I have a nice larger kw size Honda generator I'm keeping my eyes on. I'd get that generator coming along with another kw of solar panels and a complete replacement battery set for the solar array. Those in stock should arrive before day 7 using Amazon. Then simply keep everything under wraps and offline until after the event.

I play the game a little different though. I'm expecting global financial/economic implosion occurring pretty rapidly after a triggering event or public awareness. The contagion will spread through the global system within 48 hours. When credit/liquidity seizes nothing moves as everything is credit based today. Within 48 hours of the event your credit cards won't work and grocery store shelves won't be restocked ect.

The key is to recognize that event and procure last minute type items while the system is still up and running and while most everyone else is frozen in place glued to the TV's trying to figure out just what is happening. There will be a very small window of time to react. It is in that time I would run up my cards and source last minute items. You have to know that this is it however because if that system doesn't go down your credit card company is going to want that $$ back and your on the hook for it. If the event is as big as I think it's going to be entire swaths of banks and credit card issuers are going to go 'poof' in a short period of time. This will be the big 'reset' that many of us are expecting. Panic early and avoid the rush but don't panic too early or you can really screw yourself.